marijuana as medicine on s scale at a provisioning center

Look Like a Pro at the Marijuana Provisioning Center

You did it! You took the bold step and got your Michigan Medical Marijuana card. Congratulations. Now, what do you do? Most physicians don’t talk about that; some places will guide you, but for the most part, you are on your own to figure it out. We’re here to help.

Here are some tips to help build your confidence at the medical marijuana provisioning center.

  1. First off, you don’t have to go to a provisioning center, you can choose to work with an individual caregiver. Finding a photograph of marijuana flowers grown by a caregiver in Michigancaregiver isn’t as easy as walking into a provisioning center though. In all likelihood, you’ll need to know someone who grows cannabis and is accepting patients. If you don’t know someone, you’ll need to ask around. In Michigan, caregivers are limited to 5 patients so it can be challenging to find someone who is accepting patients. You’ll want to see their plants, as about their growing processes and talk with them about the strains you can buy from them. You’ll want a caregiver who grows and processes what you need. If you go the provisioning center route, below are some tips so you can look like you’ve been doing it for years.
  2. Be prepared. You’ll need your card, photo ID and cash. Expect security at the door of most places, sometimes it’s a camera system, others have a guard and others have a thick plexiglass window like the cable TV office. It can be intimidating, but your security is as important as the product they’re protecting. In most cases, you’ll be buzzed in and at that point, you get your ID and card back. The waiting areas range from comfy-cozy to spartan. Most have a TV and a few magazines, at the least. Many marijuana provisioning centers have ATMs, too.
  3. Do your research before you go. Both Leafly or WeedMaps are great resources for researching strains and getting information. Ask your friends about strains and products that they love. It’s good to have an idea of what you want, or think you want when you go into a provisioning center. You don’t want to be sold something that doesn’t help your condition. Read a few of the reviews and see if anything people are saying resonates with you.
  4. Not all stores are alike and you need to find a place you’re comfortable. Some carry a wide variety of products, others are very industrial, some just carry flower (the term for dried marijuana) offer chalkboard in a marijuana provisioning centerfew choices in edibles or tinctures or CBD products. You need to find a place that fits your needs, personality and buying style. Most marijuana provisioning centers post menus on Leafly or Weedmaps and from that, you can determine what you want to try. 
  5. Talk with the budtender at your counter. They should be able to talk with you about the health condition you are treating, the strains they have available and your preference for consumption. Feel free to ask questions and if they don’t know, ask if someone else knows. If they seem uneducated or a bad fit for you, feel free to leave. You aren’t obliged to buy anything.
  6. Expect your purchasing experience to be semi-private. After you clear security or the check-in area, you SHOULD be at a one on one space with your budtender, it’s likely there will be two or three counters in one open room and you should have one counter and one budtender to yourself. The counters all have the same products, so don’t be worried that you’re not getting something that someone else is. If you see something behind the counter that catches your eye, ask to see it. All of the products are going to be out of reach.
  7. You can ask to smell the cannabis flower which is usually in sealed glass containers. Ask the budtender if it’s ok, they’ll open the jar and let you smell it. Just don’t touch, it’s medicine and shouldn’t be contaminated with hand germs!three jars full of cannabis flower at a marijuana provisioning center
  8. You can buy just a tiny bit of flower if you want to try it out. Ask for a gram, that’s enough for a few joints (depending on how you roll) and it will give you an idea of what you’re getting and the effect. Cannabis is priced starting in grams and up to an ounce and the Budtender can tell you the prices, or it’ll be posted. Look for and ask about specials and other items that are available.
  9. Put your purchases in the trunk of your car after you leave the provisioning center. If you have a small lockbox, bring it for transporting. It’s a good practice.
  10. When you’re done, review your experience and tell others how it worked for you. It’s one way to give back to the cannabis community and to help the marijuana provisioning center improve their customer service and educate others.

What is it About a Marijuana Dispensary?

As Michigan moves toward medical marijuana licensing in December, municipalities are determining if they want an ordinance allowing marijuana businesses in their jurisdiction. Any city, village or township can adopt an ordinance to allow medical marijuana businesses to operate, or they can do nothing, in which case businesses cannot locate there. To have a business, there needs to be a zoning ordinance.

Communities around Michigan hearing from advocates and opponents. This opt in/opt out process is a good way for cannabis champions and entrepreneurs to build a case for medical marijuana.

chalkboard menu in a dispensary
(Ok, so strain names don’t help with cannabis credibility).

Over the last few months, we’ve observed a worrisome public view of dispensaries. It seems that these retail entities are the target of scorn and blame about all things perceived as negative about cannabis.

Through no fault of their own, Michigan dispensaries are unlicensed, unregulated and seemingly unwanted by everyone other than their patients. Police shut them down on a regular basis and a member of the MMFLA board announced in July he’d like to see them all gone by September 15. Luckily, that decision was not in his purview—and the shops that provide specific and vital medicine to thousands of patients are still open for business until December 15, unless a bill moving through the House and Senate is approved. This important bill would block dispensary closure.

What is it about Marijuana dispensaries that troubles people?

cannabis flowerPerhaps is it the obviousness of a storefront dispensary that bothers people. It’s one thing to quietly acknowledge that more than 280,000 Michigan residents hold cards and use medical marijuana, it’s another to see a store in your local business district. There it is, in plain sight, where people might have to address their personal biases about marijuana use, confront outdated viewpoints and possibly say not in my back yard. There is no shame in cannabis provisioning and a regulated, secure dispensary should be treated with the same respect as any small business operation.

Negative attitudes might also rest with people not believing that marijuana is medicine. Either from personal-use experience or having been fed propaganda about cannabis, some individuals have difficulty suspending the belief that marijuana is simply getting high. For people with Crohn’s Disease, epilepsy, PTSD, chronic pain and cancer, it’s anything but recreational. Marijuana is a life-saving and life-improving medicine.  

Locked Up and Safer Than a Liquor Store

Here’s what shouldn’t trouble people—that your kids or a stoner who wants to party can walk in and obtain marijuana at a dispensary near you. In Michigan, a dispensary requires all people who enter the premises do so with a state issued card to buy medicine. No one, other than a card-carrying patient (with a matching photo ID) can legally go beyond the lobby of a dispensary. In most facilities you can’t even see products until you’re admitted.

Dispensaries are truly not a threat to any community, but an asset to people needing medicine.

The Time to act is now!

People have the opportunity to do three things to help make change: 1) Contact your local municipality and see where they stand on a medical marijuana ordinance, let them know why you think medical marijuana businesses are good for your community. 2) Call your Michigan State Representative or Senator and ask for their support of HB# 5014 to keep Michigan’s dispensaries open. 3) Post your views and story about cannabis on your social network with the hashtag #bebraveforcannabis

What’s Your Responsibility to the Cannabis Community?

Working in cannabis comes with responsibility to the cannabis community. For decades, people working with plants or just having flower on their person have been the target of law enforcement harassment; have been jailed and had assets and property seized. With this dark narrative, comes a responsibility for everyone working in the industry now to be a good citizen of cannabis.

Here’s how to improve your citizenship.

Know Your Cannabis History

Bob Marley wrote in his song, Buffalo Soldier: If you know your history, then you would know where you coming from. If you want to learn a little about marijuana’s colorful past, Wikipedia has well-cited page devoted to history. The historical section of the Pro Con website is comprehensive and easy to Weed the People book coverread. Two recently published books, “Weed the People” and “Cannabis Manifesto,” were written by a respected journalist and a noted activist and provide history and cultural context. The books also discuss the social justice issues around the criminalization of cannabis in communities of color. We’ve written our own short modern cannabis history here, too.

 

What Are The Marijuana Laws in Your State?

No matter where you live or travel, be smart about the laws regarding marijuana possession. Whether you live in a marijuana-hostile state, like Wyoming or are lucky enough to be in a cannabis-friendly place like Colorado or in one of 29 states where marijuana is medicinal or been decriminalized–know the law and your rights. There are cities, too, like Grand Rapids, Michigan where decriminalization has taken place within a state where non-medical marijuana is still a crime.

Carry a Card

If you live in a medical-only state, you need to have a card. Whether you visit your own physician or make an appointment with one who specialized in A Michigan Medical Marijuana cardMMJ determinations, this is an important step in cannabis citizenship. Having a card also helps provide the government with a accurate data regarding marijuana use; the more people with cards, the more power we have as a group. While we’re all for puff-puff-pass and trying other people’s personal favorites, you don’t do the business, the culture, or the community any favors by purchasing, re-selling or giving away medicine.

Oh, and it’s illegal, too.

Have a Voice

Join and support an advocacy organization like—NORML or the Marijuana Policy Project. They are our voice for marijuana choice on the state and federal level. Meet your local commissioners, state and federal legislative representatives. When action is being taken on cannabis in your community or beyond, it’s important to reach out in person, email or by phone to your elected officials and state your point of view. Reach out to those who oppose and support marijuana issue. Express your appreciation to cannabis-supporting legislators and educate opponents. And always vote.

Stand up For Marijuana

Letting people you know that you are a marijuana patient or a recreational marijuana user is a part of being a good citizen. It’s mentally liberating to come out. You’ll find when you start telling other people that you consume, that you’ll meet more people that do, too. Speaking up also helps you articulate your case for marijuana as medicine or adult-use. Not everyone is able to publicly stand up for cannabis, usually because of employment or family issues. You don’t have to come out on Facebook or be part of a social campaign, but be as honest as possible about your use. It’s helpful for people who don’t partake to stand with friends and patients who do. It helps normalize use and builds up the cannabis community, too